of minneapolis



F. PFEIFER APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS FROM VEGETATION.

APPLlCATlON FILED JUNE 24. I916.

Patented May13, 1919.

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1: K PFEIFER, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,ASSIGNOR TO STRAW GAS AND I Mimm'sorn.

ON'EOSOTE DISTILLING 60., OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF AJIPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS FROM VEGE'I'ATION.

Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented May13, 1919.

Application filed June 24, 1918. sum in. 241,593. p i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Prnrrnn, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Minneapolis, in the county of- Hennep-in and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Generating Gas from Vegetation, of which the following is a specification.

This invention rel tes apparatus for generating gas from vegetation, the primary object being to provide simple and inexpensive means by which the material from which the gas is generated can be handled expeditiously and economically. v I In the drawing forming part of this speclfication, Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in longitudinal section of ray improved alpparatus, and Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line XX of. Fig. 1.

In the drawing let A indlcate a furnace which i constructed with a stove ate 2 amber" ash pit 4, said fire chamber having a separating the structure into a fire 3 and doorway 5through the structure for placing straw or other material on the fire grate. In the upper portion of the furnace 1s arranged a longitudinal flue 6 around the wall of which the burning gases from the fire are free to circulate, a longitudinal rearwardly extending partition 7 causing the burning gases to circulate rearwardly over the surface of said flue and thence upwardly and forward around the upper surface of the flue and out from the furnace through the chimne 8 near the front end of the furnace. he flue 6 is adapted to receive a cylindrical retort 9 containing the vegetable material such as straw or other waste material from which gas is to be generated.'

Said retort is attached by the coupling 10 to a pipe or duct 11 leadlng upwardly and downwardly into the lower P01131011 of a washer B, said pipe being attached by the coupling 12 to said washer. The washer B is pivotally mounted upon the stand 13, so that it can be turned freely with the plpe 11 out of the way whereby the retort can be moved rearwardly out of the flue 6 on a suitable delivery carrier 0, which is erected at the back end of the apparatus. Arranged at the front end of the a paratus is a receiving carrier D of suita le construction by which a fresh retort can be pushed into the flue 6 and the retort previously placed in the flue ejected. The washer B of usual construction contains a bath of an suitable washing liquid and its upper end 1s connected by a ournal couplmg 1 to a duct 15, said duct: in. turn being connected 'with a' gas storage tank -E from-which gas is delivered through a main line duct 16.

A suitable gas burner 17 is located in the fire chamber .of the furnace "below the flue 6 for heating the flue after the dgeneration of gas has been started by-buil mg a fire in the fire place. Thisburner is connected by 'the duct 17 with the supply tank E. The

a closed cylinder 22 containing said piston,-

the upper end of said cylinder being connected by the pipe 23 with the storage tank E. A spring 24 is placed between the lower end of the cylinder 22 and the piston 21 whereby as the pressure of gas in the storage tank varies, the valve 18 is regulated, sons to diminish the heat fromthe burnerl? as the pressure of gas in the storage tank increases and vice versa to decrease the heat from the burner as the pressure of gas in the tank E increases until maximum pressure is reached, whereupon all of the gas is shut ofi from the burner. The pilot 25, connected by the pipe 26 to the storage tank serves to ignite the gas from the burner. Check valves 27 placed in pi. cs 11 and 15 serve to prevent the backwar flow of gas into'the washer and retort and close said the coupling 10-is detached.

In operationstraw or other waste material is placed in the retort 9 and the retort moved from the-receiving carrier D into the flue 6, whereupon it is coupled to the pipe 11, the heat from the fire either on the grate or from the burner 17 serves to carbonize the material in the retort and to generate gas therefrom which gas passes into the washer and thence into the storage tank E. This gas is then conducted through the service main 16 to be consumed, a portion of the gas being employed for the burner 17 to maintain sufiicient heat for carbonizin the material in the retort. As soon as su cient time has elapsed to generate substantially all of the gas from the material in the retort, the

pipes when retort -is uncoupled and a fresh retort charged with the material inserted in the flue, such operation causing the retort which has previously been used to be to the delivery carrier C.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those'above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1 1. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, with a gas retort in which waste material may be placed, a furnace having a flue adapted to receive said retort longitudinally therein, a gas burner in said furnace below said flue, a washer detachably coupled with said retort, a gas reservoir connected with the washerto receive gas therefrom and with said burner to deliver gas thereto and means for automatiprojected on cally re ulating the amount of gas admitted to said urner controlled by the pressure of gas in said reservoir.

2. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, a furnace having a heating flue through whicha series of gas generating retorts may be passed, a gas reservoir, a washer having a duct detachably coupled to the retort in said flue and rotatably supported to move said duct out of the path of the retorts when said washer is uncoupled, a gas reservoir connected with said washer to receive gas therefrom and a gas burner below said flue connected with said reservoir to receive gas therefrom.

3. Apparatus of the class set forth, com prising, in combination, a furnace having a longitudinal flue through which a series of gas generating retorts may pass, a carrier at each end of said flue for facilitating the movement of said retorts, a gas burner in said furnace below said flue and detachably coupled with the retort in said flue and a pilot adjacent to said burner also connected to receive gas from said retort in said flue.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK PFEIFER. 

